To evaluate the clinical value of fluorescence quantitative tuberculosis-polymerase chain reaction (TB-PCR) for mediastinal lymphadenopathy in endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) specimens.

The clinical data of 65 patients who received EBUS-TBNA in the Respiratory Endoscopy Center of Tangdu Hospital affiliated to Air Force Military Medical University from January 2017 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of the pathological examination of biopsy specimens for lymph node tuberculosis with or without fluorescence quantitative TB-PCR were statistically analyzed.

The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of EBUS-TBNA specimens by the pathological examination for the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphatic tuberculosis were 75%, 83.3%, and 78.9%, respectively, while they were 90.5%, 100%, and 94.4%, respectively, by the fluorescence quantitative TB-PCR combined with pathological examination.

The pathologic diagnosis of EBUS-TBNA specimens combined with fluorescence quantitative TB-PCR is significantly improved in the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the diagnosis of lymph node tuberculosis, which is helpful in the differentiation of sarcoidosis and mediastinal tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycosis, and therefore, it is worthy of clinical application.